Willis News

This past Sunday Heids and I hiked the Y above BYU campus. Now is a good time to do it. If you haven't been noticing lately, the sunsets have been breathtaking. Even our kids were in awe as we watched the sunset from the perfect view at the base of the Y. All our kids that is except for Ruthie...she fell asleep.

Distance: 1.1 miles to the top of the Y from the trail head, or 2.2 miles round tripElevation Gain: 1074 feet to top of the Y, or 937 feet to the bottom of the YDifficulty: Opinions vary greatly on this one, so, we’ll say anywhere from easy to very hardDuration: The time it takes to hike up to the Y will depend on your fitness level and how fast you’re wanting to hike. For people who are very intent on making it to the top and back as quickly as possible (we’re talking sprinting), then it could take as little as 30 minutes. For the majority of people, a round trip hike up to the Y and back will take anywhere between 1-3 hours.

Description: Although not a very long hike, the trail to the BYU Y does go up a very steep part of the mountain. There are 12 switchbacks that do make the ascent easier, and to the experienced hiker, it isn’t very difficult. However, the great thing about this hike is that it attracts all types of people, and so some may find it rather difficult to climb. There are many areas where you can stop to take a break and catch your breath. The view from the Y is very much worth the short distance it takes to get there.

Directions: From 900 E in Provo, turn east (toward the mountains) on 820 North and follow it as it veers left and becomes Oakmont Lane. Take a right on Oak Cliff Drive and veer right. Take a right on Terrace Drive and a left to head into the “Y” Trailhead parking lot.

We are very proud and excited to announce that Influence Real Estate has partnered up with one of the top national real estate firms in the country...wait for it....yes, BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS REAL ESTATE. The news is finally officially out, the cat's out of the bag, the secret is no longer a secret, and soon you will be seeing our orange signs being replaced with our new Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate signs.

Why are we so excited you ask? Simple, overnight we now have immediate nation wide exposure for our brokerage as well as for our listings. While Influence Real Estate has been well known locally in Salt Lake and Utah Counties, outside of our local region nobody knows about us. That is no longer the case thanks to our newly formed partnership who's brand touches nearly 40 million people every month, including 1 in 6 adults, 1 in 5 homeowners, and 1 in 4 women. That's exposure for our clients that we as a small boutique brokerage would never be able to provide on our own. You might be thinking, but isn't that a magazine? Yes, it is a magazine that happens to be the #1 lifestyle publication in the world with nearly 40 million readers. It's also a lifestyle brand that is relevant 365 days a year. Other traditional real estate brokerages are relevant only when the consumer is looking to buy or sell which only happens every five years. The BHG brand on the other hand is relevant every day of the year because it specializes in not just selling homes but in lifestyles which is relevant regardless of whether or not you're buying or selling a home.

What does this mean for our clients? It means when we list your home our marketing efforts wont just be limited to our local market. We now have national reach. It means thanks to the data that Better Homes and Gardens has collected through their online presence and magazine publications we now have information that allows us to predict who is most likely to be interested in your home whether it be a first time home buyer, a move up buyer, or a luxury buyer and we can target market your home to those specific individuals. We call it "Pin Point Marketing" and it's a game changer. It means we no longer have to wait for the potential buyer to come to us, we can predict who the buyer will be and reach out to them. This is big data stuff and something entirely unique to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate that no other brokerage has access to and never will have access to. And our Pin Point Marketing is just one tool of many.

Within our arsenal of tools are our 3D property tours. Check out an example above. For those mothers with kids this might be a life saver. You might have fewer showings but the showings you do have you know the people will be very interested. Or maybe you have renters and you don't want to inconvenience them with a countless showings. This tool will help.

Needless to say we are extremely excited and this is an opportunity we couldn't pass up. We will continue to provide and emphasize exceptional costumer service based on trusting relationships which is what attracted Better Homes and Gardens to us in the first place. Just know that we now have some additional marketing artillery in our back pocket as we move forward representing you and those you refer us to.

We thank you for the support and for sharing in the excitement with us and we look forward to continuing our relationship of professionalism, trust and friendship moving forward.

With gratitude,

Joe & Sam WillisThe Willis Group

p.s. Hit us up for a free annual subscription to Better Homes & Gardens the magazine. It's like Pinterest in magazine format. ​

We all know the prison system doesn't work, but what can we do about it, right? What's the alternative?Well now you can do something about it and it only take 15 seconds. VOTE for the Reset Foundation.

Reset is demonstrating that by changing the way we do justice, we can empower individuals, families, and communities across the country.

The idea is simple: instead of serving time in a dehumanizing prison environment, a sentenced young adult lives at a Reset campus, focused entirely on academics, career, and healthy living. We create a positive, 24/7 environment that supports a whole participant’s learning and growth. At full scale, Reset campuses are designed to cost no more per participant per year as prison. Learn more at www.theresetfoundation.org.

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TO VOTE CLICK HERE: www.vote4reset.org

Last week was full of eggs, chocolates, food, friends, and parties. We're worn out. We wanted to say thank you to all who came and attended our client appreciation party last monday. It was wild and crazy and we ate over a thousand hot dogs and could've eaten even more. We were dissapointed the parachuting toys couldn't be dropped out of the helicopter for safety reasons (pilots made a last minute decision) but we think everyone still had a fun time. If we do it again next year we're debating if we should do the helicopter again or put the resources towards more eggs and more prizes. Any input would be welcomed. It would also open up the possiblity for different venues which could add some excitement. Let us know your thoughts so we can improve the event. Thanks again for coming.

Funtopia is kid friendly ultra creative rock climbing gym in Lehi just west of I-15 and a little north of Pioneer Crossing. The perfect place to learn how to rock climb for all ages so long as the child weighs at least 35 pounds. There are a wide range of creatively themed and interactive climbing walls, slides, blocks, ladders, even a jumping platform.Last weekend we took our 7 year old who has been to a few indoor rock climbing gyms but still new to the sport and we took our 3 year old who's never been before. This place is awesome because as parents you can hook your child into the self belay system and then climb yourself or step back and just watch without fearing for your child's safety. If you feel uncomfortable hooking your child into the safety system then the child can raise their hand and a staff member will come and hook or unhook them as needed.Kate took right to it and climbed just about every wall. Anna took some getting used to the idea of climbing high but by the end of the hour she was climbing to the top of the easier walls. The hour flew by and the kids really had a tremendous time.This would be a great place to hold a birthday party or just grab a group of friends and have fun. It offers a wide variety of climbing options of different skill levels so there was plenty for the kids to explore. An hour almost wasn't long enough. We will be back soon and often. What a blast.401 s. 850 e. Suite c4 Lehi801-717-1236$18/hr unless you go with a group of 3 or more then it's $14-hr. To be safe call ahead and reserve your spot. They only allow roughly 20 climbers in at a time.

EnjoyStudio C's Scott Sterling Soccer Shootout sketch. If you're a Utah County resident then you're familiar with Studio C, a sketch comedy television show produced by BYUtv. If you're not from Utah and you're looking fro some good clean family friendly comedy then check them out and subscribe to their YouTube channel. This group is great and we've loved watching their success.

This year Kate and I signed up for the Cedar Hills ski bus. So far we've had two ski days and we have one left to go. For $190 Kate gets a two hour ski lesson each day, a bus ride up to Snowbird, and a day pass to ski her heart out. I volunteered to be a chaperon which means I ride up on the bus with the kids, I get a free ski pass for the day, and I watch over 5 kids for the second half of the day after the lesson is over. It has bee a total blast and Kate is now able to tackle beginner hills with confidence. It has been a great experience together and an affordable way to teach Kate to ski. If you missed out this year be sure to sign up next year. You don't have to be a Cedar Hills resident to sign up. Your town might also have a ski bus worth looking into. Now if only we had more snow!